By DANIEL RIORDAN aviation writer
Porirua company Radiola has won a $5.5 million contract to supply the Royal Australian Air Force with what it says is the world's first mobile instrument landing system. The Australians will use the system on airfields in East Timor to guide incoming flights.
The transponder landing system (TLS) is made by US electronics firm Advanced Navigation and Positioning, which has an ongoing relationship with Radiola, the prime contractor on the project.
Radiola takes the TLS and mounts it on a four-wheel trailer that can be carried by helicopter and towed by a truck, making it transportable (TTLS).
The whole system weighs about seven tonnes, and when fully operational with radio links and antenna masts resembles a camouflaged building, said Richard Thompson, manager of Radiola's defence and aerospace division.
He said the RAAF realised early on in its East Timor campaign that it lacked equipment that could quickly be set up to help pilots landing at airfields with no effective approach and landing aids.
Traditional instrument landing systems are fixed and need extensive civil works such as concrete pads, cable trenching and power feeds.
Mr Thompson said Radiola had pursued international contracts in the past five years, building on its work with the New Zealand Air Force.
"We look for niche projects with niche product requirements and act as an integrator. We identified a problem the Australian Air Force had in its precision landing capabilities. We built the project from scratch, sowed the seed with them and nursed it through to a sale.
"East Timor cropped up while this was going on and was the catalyst that really clinched the deal."
Radiola has also signed a three-year support contract for the TTLS.
Mr Thompson's division of Radiola is also doing work in Western Australia and Bangladesh, all of it in civil aviation.
Military around the world were now showing interest in the TTLS, said Mr Thompson, including the US military, which was considering using it in Antarctica.
Radiola was formed in 1990 with a management buyout of the major part of AWA New Zealand.
The company changed its name three years later.
It employs 40 people, including eight in the defence and aerospace division.
The company also manufactures touch screen terminals for industrial use and distributes consumer appliances, including the Kenwood, Samsung and Jensen brands.
NZ firm wins $5.5m RAAF landing order
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